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New Labour, New Life for Britain

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New Labour, New Life For Britain is a political manifesto published in 1996 by the British Labour Party. The party had recently restyled itself as New Labour under Tony Blair. The manifesto set out the party's new "Third Way" centrist approach to policy, with subsequent success at the 1997 general election.[1]

The 1997 election produced the biggest Labour majority in the history of the party. They won 418 seats, with a majority of 179.[2] They delivered on the main aims of the manifesto including introducing a minimum wage, increasing National Health Service (NHS} funding after "Tory" neglect and cutting class sizes.

The Conservatives' rule was over after 18 years; under the leadership of John Major they suffered their worst defeat in the party's history, losing 178 seats and becoming the official opposition with 165 seats. This election was the start of a Labour government after 18 years in opposition and continued with another landslide victory in 2001 and a victory in 2005. In 2010, they became the official opposition with 258 seats. The new leader of the Labour party, Ed Miliband, completely dropped the New Labour brand in 2010 when elected as party leader and moved the party's political stance slightly further to the left.[3] He resigned as leader in 2015 after a second election defeat increasing Labour's support by about 1.5%; Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership of the party.

Pledge card

During the 1997 campaign, a pledge card with five specific pledges was issued and detailed in the manifesto too. The pledges were:[1]

  • cut class sizes to 30 or under for 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds by using money from the assisted places scheme
  • fast-track punishment for persistent young offenders by halving the time from arrest to sentencing
  • cut NHS waiting lists by treating an extra 100,000 patients as a first step by releasing £100 million saved from NHS red tape
  • get 250,000 under-25-year-olds off benefit and into work by using money from a windfall levy on the privatised utilities
  • no rise in income tax rates, cut VAT on heating to 5 per cent and inflation and interest rates as low as possible

See also

References

  1. ^ a b new Labour because Britain deserves better - Political Science Resources. Access date: 10 July 2012.
  2. ^ 1997: Labour landslide ends Tory rule - BBC News. Last updated: 15 April 2005, Access date: 10 July 2012.
  3. ^ Ed Miliband ditches New Labour - The Mirror. Published: 15 February 2012, Access date: 10 July 2012.
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